Happy New Year: Ontario’s 2016 Power Rate Shell Game

Ontario power rates will increase dramatically in 2016 but tracking the changes will be challenging. The multi-dimensional, inter-temporal shell game of Ontario power rates will kick into overdrive. Here are a few of Official Ontario’s tricks to watch.

“Enough Is Enough” Is Not Enough

Electricity protesters will converge on the Ontario legislature starting at noon May 13. The protest will be an important gauge of the extent of public anger over soaring rates, particularly Hydro One’s rural rates. But, when it comes to solutions, expect more heat than light. The protest has coalesced around a Facebook site, a petition, …

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Ontario’s Power Rates Are Going Up How Much?

Over the last two weeks, there have been a dizzying swirl of announcements and reports on various aspects of Ontario electricity prices. With official Ontario working hard to keep the issues confused and impacts spread out over time, it is challenging for consumers to follow the multiple shell games going on at once. Here are …

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Ontario’s Electricity Debt Disclosure: Opaque Transparency

Responding to two recent recommendations of the Ontario Auditor General (AG), the provincial Finance Minister Dwight Duncan released a summary yesterday of what he would have us believe is the debt left over from the old Ontario Hydro. He also issued a regulation defining some of the idiosyncratic terms used in Ontario’s electricity legislation since 1998. …

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Upcoming Radio Appearance – “Ontario Today” on CBC

I will appear on CBC’s “Ontario Today” show on March 4, 2011 at 12:05 discussing the recent debate in the provincial legislature on the Debt Reduction Charge (DRC) on power bills in the province. Originally introduced in 2002 as a temporary 0.7 cents/kWh tax on electricity consumers to manage the insolvency of the former Ontario …

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